It’s Technically ILLEGAL to Throw Away Bottles and Cans in Michigan

When I first moved here, doing the whole bottle and can return was weird for me. In Arkansas and Indiana (two states I’ve lived considerable amounts of time in) throwing bottles and cans in the trash, perfectly acceptable. Yes, we had recycling, but NO incentive on using it.

So I move to Michigan, where I pay $.10 extra on every bottle and can I buy… but it’s like a little saving account for later (usually for candy bars and stuff) when you go and return the dimes. So if you’re tossing them out, you’re wasting money, but it’s your deal.

EXCEPT, it’s technically illegal to throw cans and bottles in the trash in Michigan.

Okay, actually it’s illegal for cans and bottles to end up in a landfill, which technically falls on the garbage collecting companies, but still, IT’S ILLEGAL TO THROW BOTTLES AND CANS IN A LANDFILL…so clap your hands, clap your hands. (Sorry that keeps playing in my head when I say bottles and cans..)

A law passed in 2004 (PA 34 of 2004) prohibits beverage containers, as defined in Deposit Law, from being disposed of in a landfill. Beverage containers may be placed in recycling bins, taken to a recycling center, or redeemed for deposit.

And now you know. (insert shooting star with a rainbow tail and tag line “The More You Know”)